Hamballs

As some of you may already know, Wade is 100% Dutch. This makes Amelia 50% Dutch. I am a mutt, so having culture/traditions for Amelia is something I look forward too: wooden shoes, Sinterclaus, saying "Eet Smakelijk!" before meals, and hamballs.

Most of Wade's family lives in the town Lynden, north of Bellingham. There you can buy hamloaf. Using the loaf and the recipe from the Eastside Market we make hamballs (like a sweet and sour meatball). We have enjoyed sharing the recipe with friends and family (when Lisa comes up she buys 5 loaves at a time). We have also enjoyed having guest from Holland over for it.

This past Monday, Sarah and Jake brought over their Dutch exchange students for dinner. Wade also invited his co-worker, Rutger. He is also from Holland. After dinner there wasn't a ball left. They all loved them...however, they said this was their first time eating them and they weren't from Holland. Hummm... I guess it is more of a Lynden thing then Dutch.

Here is the recipe:

1 hamloaf
1 can tomato soup
1 cup brown sugar
2 T vinegar
1 T dry mustard

Make loaf onto balls. Add soup, sugar, vinegar and mustard in saucepan. Cook until blended together. Pour mixture over balls. Cook at 350* for 1 hour. Rotate balls after 30 min.

We like to serve ours with cheesy potato casserole (thank you Lisa for that suggestion). YUMMY!

Sun, Tulips and Peanut Butter Bars

On this weeks addition of "Tuesdays with Lisa," Amelia and I headed south to La Conner for the Tulip Festival. There we met Lisa, Becki and Carson for some lunch and site seeing. It was a beautiful day in La Conner and I highly recommend to everyone to go there in the month of April when the tulips are out. This was my first time seeing the tulips in bloom. It can get crowded, so make it a weekday like we did.

We all met at Calico Cupboard Bakery and Restaurant for a late lunch. Because it was a bakery we did have to get something sweet: Peanut Butter Bars (oink, oink). Luckily Lisa and I shared because I could have eaten the WHOLE thing on my own. We then headed to the tulip fields where we played photographer and got some pictures of the flowers and us. There is nothing better in the world then a sunny day in the Northwest!!!

Easter Weekend

We had a fun filled Easter weekend. Starting Saturday morning to Sunday night, we were on the go and Amelia was able to keep up with mom and dad with no problem. However, we had a tired little bunny on our hands when it was all over.

Saturday, Wade's aunts threw us a baby shower. It was co-ed so all the uncles got to join us as well. I got a HUGE kick out of them when the games got brought out. One game involved changing a doll's diaper blindfolded. The winner had the best time. Wade actually did pretty well with this. Must be those late night diaper changes. I came in second (tied with Wade's elementary aged cousin. It was his first time EVER changing a diaper). They also served us with an awesome brunch. Let's just say we didn't need to eat for the rest of the day. Amelia got some wonderful gifts and will be one of the best dressed girls in Bellingham. She also received some blankets. One of them a quilt that matched her bedroom perfectly from Aunt Shirley. She matched the yellow, black, white, sheep theme with a quilt of "Baa, baa, black sheep." Thank you Aunt Suzan, Aunt Lynea and Aunt Nancy for all your hard work!

Saturday night we were ready for more partying. Wade and I took Amelia for her first time to our favorite Mexican joint Jalapenos for some Big Mamas. After we went to our friend's, Aimee and Jason, house. They were having a BBQ after a softball tournament played that day. The whole team was there, plus some of their kids. As the night progressed more friends stopped by. It was great to catch up with people we haven't seen in a while or since last softball season. Amelia got to meet some new friends and catch up with some old ones. She is going to have a tough time choosing who her boyfriend is going to be, Cole or Blaize! She did very well being pasted around. But, as the night got late we needed to get her home to bed (I needed to get home to bed).

Lastly, our weekend ended with Easter Sunday. My family all came up from Kirkland/Seattle and Wade's parents also joined us. I cooked a ham and everyone else brought something to share. We also had some egg hunts. Yes, notice the plural. We had three. Lets just say there wasn't a lack of candy and sweets at this party. Shelby and Macie left on a little sugar high. Tracker also got into some of the action and went on an egg hunt of his own. He rounded up most of the plastic eggs hidden outside and ate the candy that was inside. We are now just waiting for some foil surprises!

Vaccinations, Oh My!

Before I was even pregnant, I thought about whether I would vaccinate my child when the time came. Working in my position (Sped Teacher to moderate/severe disabilities) I face autism everyday. I have seen first hand on how hard it can be on a family and a child. I don't truly believe that vaccinations can cause autism, but I do believe that not every child is the same. Because of this, I feel that universal vaccinations are not the best thing. I also don't like the idea of having so many at once because if there was a complication, like an allergy, how would you know what it was from?? If you had a sensitive child, the vaccinations could cause complications that may or may not lead into autistic tendencies.

After Amelia was born I have had to face my fear. My plan was to have alternative vaccinations, with only a couple shots at a time. However, today at her two month appointment I decided that I am going to follow the advice of my mother, my doctor, and the American Pediatrics. She got her shots, all of them. It was a very heart breaking experience for me. They had me hold her down while she got three shots in her leg. With the first the screaming started and tears came to my eyes. I have never seen her so upset. After they were all done she cried (balled) for 15 more minutes until she fell asleep. For the rest of my day I plan to watch her to make sure she is feeling good.

On a happier note, Amelia is a thriving baby. She is in the 95% for weight (13lbs) and 90% for height (23.5 in). She is meeting the 2 month developmental skills and was perfect for the doctor and nurse until the shots came. The doctor also said that I didn't have to wake her up for her late night feeding anymore and to let her sleep as long as she can at night. This is great news for me because I don't have to keep myself up to feed her and can now go to bed at an earlier time. Makes for a happier mama!!

Chillin' like a Villian. I got Amelia these sunglasses the weekend the sun came out. Hopefully she'll be able to wear them again. She'll be just like her dad and wear them ALL the time. Lets just hope she gets my eyesight. Wade's is NOT good!

Amelia likes tummy time. This has helped in her developing great head control.

Happy Birthday ReBecca Joye!!!!

Many, many, many.... years ago the world was blessed with a ten pound baby girl. She grew up to be my older and wiser sister. I have been very blessed to have her led me through my life. She has been my role model, best friends, and an awesome mother.


In dad fashion:

Roses are red,
violets are blue.
No one could ask,
for a better sister then you!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RJ!

Tuesdays with Lisa

My great friend Lisa is in sales for America Express. Her territory is from Seattle to the Canadian boarder. This means she needs to make business trips to Bellingham. She does these on Tuesday. Let’s just say I really look forward to her visits (being on leave I love company! Especially her. ). She sees clients in the morning and I get her for the afternoon (and sometimes night). Lisa and I have decided that during these times we are going to explore Bellingham and all it has to offer. We go to lunch at local restaurants, on nice days we walk, and we check out local establishments.

Yesterday, Lisa and I went to Pita Pit (just like in Pullman) and made new mom Becki Mae some meals to keep in the freezer. It was a lot of fun and we hope to do it again in April. I am very excited for the weather to get better so I can show off the beauty of my surrounding area. I have picnics, hikes, and exploring planned. Also, once Becki Mae is healed from her C-section, she and Carson will be traveling with Lisa. Everyone is welcome to join us! Just jump in the car from Seattle :).

On another note…..Looking to move to Bellingham? We have a home for you. Located in a prime location near Trader Joe’s and the Bellingham trail system this 2 bedroom, 2 bath place is ready to rent. Check it out!!!!

Her name is BABY MILLIE!!!

Over the weekend Amelia and I headed south again while Wade was out of town. While there we had lunch at my grandma's. My sister, mom, Shelby and Macie also attended. After lunch my grandma was holding Amelia and decided that a good nickname for her would be squeaky. Macie looks up and yells seriously "No! Her name is Baby Millie!" It was the cutest thing ever. Macie (who refers to herself as Mae-Mae) is a very loving and funny cousin. Millie is her little baby!!